Cove Moldings on the Tablesaw & The Parallelogram Cove Jig

Many people are surprised when they find out they can make incredibly beautiful (and large) coves moldings on the tablesaw. I know I was! In this episode, I’ll give you a rundown on the process for creating both symmetrical and asymmetrical coves. I’ll show you several ways to set up for this operation, but my favorite involves the use of a parallelogram jig that was inspired by a Fine Woodworking Article by Stuart Sabol (subscription required). His jig is primarily for setup only, so I figured why not make a jig that would also double as a fence system.

Once you have your coves cut, you’ll need to clean them up. Unfortunately the blade leaves a fairly rough surface. So I’ll show you a few good ways to smooth the surface to perfection.

And I didn’t mention it in the video, but the best blade for this type of operation would be one with a square tooth grind. That should leave you with the cleanest surface. My 40 tooth Forrest Woodworker II did a pretty decent job without any square teeth. And here is the link for the program cove calculation program over at FineWoodworking.com: Cove Angle Calculator

The Parallelogram Cove JigI made my jig from 3/4” Baltic Birch plywood and several parts from a Rockler Jig IT Hardware Kit. Here are the dimensions of the jig parts:

Hi, Marc. I tried this a few years back and results were ok, BUT…my blade overheated and warped, also got a dark burn mark on my saw table where the hot sawdust exited the channel cut in the wood, not to mention all that sanding. I know you and others are probably thinking i took too big a bite out of the wood or my blade was dull or the angle was too cross-grained or all three. Nope. Anyways, was wondering if there were any others who had this experience.

-- I think of Jack Nicholson as the Joker in Batman when he says "Where does he get those wonderful toys" and ask WHERE DO U GUYS GET ALL THAT WONDERFUL WOOD?

Well only thing left that I can think of is the blade itself. How many teeth? A rip blade would be ideal for something like this. Also, what species of wood were you working with. Some are easier to burn than others.